In the latest move, Unilever NV in the Netherlands has sued the grocery chain for alleged copying the packaging of four of its brands of margarine, as well as its Lipton iced tea and Bertolli olive oil. About 30 months ago, the grocery chain temporarily pulled some 30 Unilever products from shelves after the manufacturer refused the chain’s demands for price cuts.
Last week, the chain introduced new packaging for its private-branded margarines, said Richard van der Eijk, a Unilever spokesman. Ahold spokesman Hans Koeleman called the suit baseless, and said he hoped the companies could settle their differences. “This suit is unfounded, and that’s putting it mildly,” Koeleman said. “We have a right to offer good alternatives to A-brands for a better price.”
Van der Eijk was unmoved. “Albert Heijn is one of our biggest customers, so we don’t do this lightly,” he said. “They have crossed the line. These are copies of our products, but the quality is not the same.”
Heijn is in a pitched price battle with other Dutch supermarkets to regain lost market share, and consumers have been the winners thus far. —Arnie Orloski
